Aegean Sea, Greece: Maliakos Gulf

Zoobenthos dry weight biomass; Zoobenthos taxonomic abundance

Sediment grabs

This study explored the impact of riverine discharges upon the subaqueous deltaic benthic communities. Community spatial structure is highly heterogeneous and shaped by different factors depending on sampling period. Suspended load, substrate characteristics, chlorophyll a levels, turbidity and salinity are among the important factors. Biopolymeric carbon inventories in the delta front are relatively high so as to support rich benthic communities and high SCOC rates. It is believed that species that can compensate siltation and / or burial, by burrowing or subsurface feeding, high motility and continuous spawning or considerable larval inputs, are expected to highly contribute to the macrobenthic community structure of submarine deltaic depositions with similar characteristics to those studied in Maliakos Gulf.

Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Oceanography
46.7 km Athinon-Souniou Av. P.O.Box 712
Anavyssos

19013
Greece